Chapter 7 - Chapter 7: The Weight of Ghosts

Lila woke to the faint hum of Manhattan beyond Caspian Thorn's penthouse windows, her body tangled in a blanket on his leather couch, his arm draped heavy across her waist. The air smelled of him—cedar, smoke, a trace of scotch—and her skin still buzzed from the night before, from the slow, searching kisses that had left her raw. She shifted, careful not to wake him, and studied his face in the dim pre-dawn light: sharp jaw softened in sleep, dark lashes fanning over cheekbones, a man who carried too much behind that guarded mask. She should've left hours ago, should've kept the line firm, but here she was, caught in his orbit, and damn if it didn't feel like falling.Her phone buzzed on the coffee table, shattering the quiet—Jamie, probably, with another lead or a lecture. Lila eased out from under Caspian's arm, his breath hitching as she moved, but he didn't wake. She grabbed the phone and padded to the kitchen, the marble cold under her bare feet. The text read: Apex shell company—new wire transfer, $10M, yesterday. Source encrypted. Call me. Her pulse kicked up. Ten million, fresh, while Caspian played the tortured hero. She glanced back at him, sprawled and vulnerable, and wondered how much of last night was truth—and how much was a leash.She dialed Jamie, keeping her voice low. "Ten million? To who?""Morning to you too," Jamie muttered, the clack of her keyboard audible. "Still tracing—offshore again, Cayman routing. But it's tied to Apex, no question. Your boy's moving money while you're… what, cozying up?"Lila bristled, leaning against the counter. "I'm working him, Jamie. He's cracking—gave me Elena, Darius Kane, the whole mess.""Uh-huh." Jamie's tone was dry. "And you're sleeping over because it's strategic?""Drop it," Lila snapped, heat creeping up her neck. "What's the next step?""Follow the money. I've got a contact—ex-IRS, shady but good. Meet me at the office, noon. Bring coffee and your head screwed on straight."Lila hung up, staring at the phone. Caspian stirred behind her, a low groan as he sat up, rubbing his face. "You're up early," he said, voice rough with sleep, eyes finding hers across the room."Couldn't sleep," she lied, crossing back to the couch, arms folded. "You?""Bad habit." He stood, stretching, the sweater riding up to reveal a sliver of toned stomach that made her look away too fast. "Coffee?"She nodded, watching as he moved to the kitchen, all easy grace despite the weight he'd dumped last night—Elena, Darius, a past that bled into now. "Ten million moved through Apex yesterday," she said, testing him, voice casual. "Know anything about that?"His hand paused on the coffee machine, just a beat, then resumed. "Business," he said, not turning. "Apex is a cog, not the wheel.""Bullshit," she said, stepping closer. "That's real money, Caspian. For what?"He turned, leaning against the counter, eyes narrowing. "You don't trust me.""Should I?" She held his gaze, unflinching. "You give me half-truths, then expect me to play along."He set the coffee down, crossing to her, close enough that she felt his heat. "I'm not your enemy, Lila. I told you—I'm ending it.""Then prove it," she said, voice low, daring him. "Show me the wheel."His jaw tightened, but he nodded, slow. "Tonight. My office. Full access—books, files, whatever you want."She searched his face—sincerity or a trap?—and nodded back. "Deal."He kissed her then, quick and fierce, a seal on the promise, and she let it linger before pulling away. "I've got to go," she said, grabbing her jacket. "Work."" - Lila left, the elevator ride a blur of coffee and chaos, her mind on Caspian's offer—full access. It was a lifeline or a noose, and she wouldn't know until she grabbed it.At the Daily Pulse, Jamie was a whirlwind—papers strewn, laptop glowing, a caffeine-fueled machine. "IRS guy's meeting us at two," she said, barely looking up. "Ten mil went to a dummy corp—Thorn's name's buried in the shell, but it's there. Brooklyn's the target—demolition prep."Lila's stomach sank. "Demolition? They're moving that fast?""Yep." Jamie slid a photo across—Brooklyn lots, bulldozers idling. "Permits cleared last night. Your boyfriend's not wasting time.""He's not—" Lila stopped, scowling. "He's giving me access tonight. I'll find it."Jamie snorted. "You're in deep, Hart. Hope you know what you're doing."The IRS contact—a wiry guy named Vince, all nervous tics and cheap cologne—met them in a diner, sliding a USB drive over. "Encrypted transfers," he said, voice low. "Thorn's clean on paper, but the money's dirty—kickbacks, hush funds. Brooklyn's just the start."Lila plugged it in, scrolling—names, dates, sums. Caspian's signature on a few, buried deep. Her chest tightened. "This ties him," she said, voice flat. "Why risk it?"Vince shrugged. "Power. Greed. Or he's covering something bigger."Back at her apartment, Lila pored over the drive—millions funneled through Apex, some to city officials, some to a name she didn't know: E. Kane. Elena? No—too old, wrong initial. Another Kane? She texted Caspian: E. Kane—who? No reply.By dusk, she was at Thorn Enterprises, keycard swiping her to the 49th. Caspian waited in his office, sleeves rolled up, a stack of files on his desk. "You're late," he said, smirking, but his eyes were tired."Traffic," she shot back, dropping her bag. "Let's see it."He handed her a ledger—Brooklyn costs, Apex payouts, all legit on the surface. "This is what I can show," he said. "The rest—off-books. I'm unwinding it, Lila. Takes time."She flipped pages, cross-checking Vince's data. Discrepancies—millions missing. "Where's the rest?" she demanded, voice hard.He hesitated, then pulled a laptop, logging in. "Here." Screen glowed—offshore accounts, E. Kane again. "Eric Kane," he said, voice tight. "Darius's father. Victor's old partner. He's the shadow—runs the dirty side."Lila's mind raced—Vanessa's dad, pulling strings. "Why keep him?""Blackmail," Caspian said, leaning back. "He's got dirt—Elena, Victor, me. I'm cutting him loose, but he's dug in."She stared, pieces clicking. "You're scared of him.""No," he said, sharp. "I'm done with him."She nodded, slow, then stood, pacing. "I need to meet him."Caspian's face darkened. "No. He's dangerous, Lila.""So are you," she said, stepping close, voice low. "I'm in this. All the way."He grabbed her wrist, pulling her in, eyes fierce. "You don't know what you're asking.""I do," she whispered, and kissed him—hard, hungry, a clash of need and defiance. He lifted her onto the desk, papers scattering, hands under her shirt, her legs wrapping around him. It was fast, desperate—shirts off, skin on skin, a release of everything boiling between them. When they finished, breathless, she stayed in his arms, the ledger crumpled beneath her."Eric Kane," she said, later, dressed, resolute. "Set it up."Caspian nodded, reluctant. "Tomorrow. Be ready."She left, mind a storm—Kane, Elena, Caspian's hands on her. At home, she stared at the USB, at E. Kane's name, and knew: this was the edge, and she was jumping.